future hall of famers in NFL

The Game Room
1

Well, we know there’s a lot of players that probably should be in but are not. This seems to happen a lot to WR’s because there’s just so many of them. Anyway, what I’m thinking about is recently retired players who will almost undoubtedly be inducted within their first few years of eligibility. Also, current players who would be inducted if their careers were to end today. Here’s my list, and I’d love to hear input from others:

RETIRED:
Deion Sanders
Shannon Sharpe (shocked that he wasn’t inducted his first year.)
Cris Carter (see above.)
Jerry Rice
Emmitt Smith
Marshall Faulk
Michael Strahan
Jonathan Ogden
Willie Roaf
Tim Brown
Larry Allen
John Lynch
Warren Sapp
Curtis Martin
ACTIVE:
Brett Favre
Peyton Manning
Tom Brady
Tony Gonzalez
Ray Lewis
Derrick Brooks
Marvin Harrison
Orlando Pace
Kevin Mawae
Terrell Owens (stats)
Alan Faneca
Richard Seymour
Champ Bailey
Brian Urlacher
Brian Dawkins
Isaac Bruce
Randy Moss
Ed Reed

Also, a couple kickers that I think should be inducted: Adam Viniateri & Jason Elam.

Players that people talk about being inducted that just don’t seem HoF caliber to me: Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner, (had like ten in mind, now my brain is failing me.)

2

I don’t disagree with anyone on this list. I would add:

LaDanian Tomlinson
Jerome Bettis

Edgerrin James (maybe)

3

I agree with the first two. Edgerrin is one of the ones I meant to put with Davis and Warner. Two more years of high productivity and I’d be ok with it.

4

While he might be borderline if his career ended right now, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Troy Polamalu is a Hall of Famer.

5

Close. Just don’t see him as a shoe-in.

6

His stats don’t bear it out and he’s not nearly as good as the others on the list, but Ben Roethlisberger’s won two Super Bowls. Every other QB with two SB wins has made the HoF

7

After a quick look at some stats:

He doesn’t “feel” like a Hall of Famer to me, but Torry Holt’s numbers (inflated by the Greatest Show on Turf) could make an argument for him.

Edgerrin James should be a shoe-in. Over 12,000 rushing yards should be plenty.

8

I didn’t realize he had 14,101 career rushing yards until I looked it up just now. He should have been in years ago, what gives?

9

Well I suppose you’re right about Edgerrin. There’s just quite a few RB’s that should go first (Roger Craig, Marshall Faulk, Bettis, Curtis Martin, Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, etc.). I didn’t list Holt because I figure Bruce will go first. Lots of receivers that are deserving (Andre Reed!!), Herman Moore, Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, that’s all that’s coming to me now.

10

Good on you for mentioning Roaf, who often gets overlooked in these discussions. Will Shields should really get in as well. That Chiefs running game was just leaps and bounds better than anything else in the league, while Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson – though quality Running Backs – were not singularly talented.
I really don’t get the support for Elam’s candidacy. He’s been a good kicker for a long time, but so have a number of other guys who haven’t gotten in. Certainly he has to get in line behind Morten and Gary. Also, significantly, his career and his numbers have been assisted by the fact that he played for the Broncos; that altitude effect is no joke.

11

He just retired a couple years ago. Players aren’t eligible for inducxtion until 5 years after retirement.

12

I agree about Morten, but Gary’s longevity is all he really has over Elam. Elam: tied for longest ever fg and number of overtime wins by kicker, a few Pro Bowls, 2 Super Bowls, most seasons w/ 100+ points, fastest kicker to get to 300 fg’s. Fastest player ever to get to 1700 pts, best ever xp conversion percentage, and he’s on pace to break others as well.

13

I think the HOF committee is just scared about the acceptance speech, and trying to find a translator.

I love Bruce, and few realize he’s #3 in career receiving yards. I have a feeling he’s not going to make it in - it doesn’t seem that WRs get much love.

14

Looking at raw numbers in the NFL is silly. Elam has been a very good kicker, but he also has greatly benefited from kicking up a mile high. James has a lot of yards, but he also has played most of his career with Peyton Manning. You think the defense stuffed the box much? Warner has great stats, but he did it with great receivers in dome stadiums. Roethlisberger has won two super bowls, because he had great teammates. None of these guys are hall of famers to me though Ben certainly still has time. They are just very good players who have been very fortunate to play where they play.

15

HA! A translator for Shannon, huh? I love Shannon Sharpe, talk and all. First tight end to get 10,000 yards. Three Super Bowl rings, 8 Pro Bowls, a bunch of All-Pro selections. I’m sure there’s some other “tight end records/ achievements” other than the yardage thing as well. Just can’t understand passing him up. Why didn’t they just induct one more player this year? Oh well, next year.

As for Bruce… I gotta admit, I did not know he was up there that high, and he’s actually number 2 now. Not sure why I put Holt on the list rather than Bruce. :confused:

You’re definitely right about receivers though. Art Monk having to wait years and years, and Andre Reed still not being in! :dubious:

16

It’s not silly, but it would be silly to look JUST at numbers. I doubt any of those three players will be inducted simply because there are others ahead of them and others still playing that are more deserving.

I’m not trying to start a debate about kicking and altitude, but in regards to the 63 yarder, Tom Dempsey kicked his below sea level in New Orleans. I really don’t think the altitude has that much of an effect on kicking as a kicker that gets to play in a dome. (come to think of it, Elam actually is on a dome team now haha).

But hell, I don’t know, and don’t care all that much. I just like to discuss football. :slight_smile:

17

I don’t think Mawae or Faneca make it. You have to be an all-time great to make the HOF and play for good teams if you’re a lineman, not just the best at your position for a while. Faneca has been a very good player, but a lot of the Steelers lines he played on were average at best. Mawae played on a bunch of shitty Jets lines.

Seymour has been to the Pro Bowl as a 4-3 nose, 4-3 under and 3-4 end, and has a bunch of rings, so he will. Pace was the anchor of one of the best offenses in league history, so he will too.

Personally, I think Champ Bailey is hugely overrated, but the writers have been sucking him for years and I don’t think they’ll stop now.

Dawkins probably deserves to go, but I’m not sure he will.

James won rushing titles in 1999 (his rookie year) and 2000. If he hadn’t blown out his knee in 2001, I think we’d be talking about him today in, if not Jim Brown terms, then at least Tony Dorsett terms. He never really recovered from the injury, and I’d say his 1,500 yard seasons in '04 and '05 had much more to do with defenses focusing on the pass than his frighteningly good first two seasons.

Shaun Alexander? Really? For one big season?

Elam is not a Hall of Famer even as a stretch. He’s a good kicker, maybe a great one, but he’s fifth in line at the position at best.

Gary has a perfect regular season to his credit. Elam does not.

Guess you missed Matt Prater’s kickoff today that went through the uprights and would have been good from 5 yards further out. He’s got a strong leg, but he never made a field goal of more than 53 yards in college (at sea level right here in Orlando).

Yeah… whatever kept Cris Carter out will surely keep Bruce out too. I can’t see any way that he would get in ahead of Carter.

18

RETIRED:
Deion Sanders - oh, golly, absolutely.
Shannon Sharpe (shocked that he wasn’t inducted his first year.) - yes, it’s a travesty that he wasn’t a unanimous first-ballot pick. Redefined his position.
Cris Carter - don’t think he’s quite as big a deal at Sharpe but then you’d expect to have more stars at the position, and I was surprised he didn’t make it in the first time.
Jerry Rice - Duh.
Emmitt Smith - see above.
Marshall Faulk - Faulk is a bit of a strange case. He never ran for 1,500 yards in a season, and although he’s probably the best pass-catching tailback ever I’m not sure that’s enough for inclusion. Also suffers from the Edgerrin James “look at the offenses he played in” issue.
Michael Strahan - no argument there, though I always wondered how he had that one huge season because he never seemed that dominant as a pass rusher. Merits inclusion as probably the most balanced 4-3 end ever though.
Jonathan Ogden - skated into Pro Bowls on reputation for the last 5 years. Not gonna make it. Pace has too, but Ogden was never a part of a particularly special offense.
Willie Roaf - Hope he makes it. Don’t think he will.
Tim Brown - He’s not in already?
Larry Allen - Arguably the most dominant player at his position ever in his prime. He’s in.
John Lynch - No, no, no… and I say this as a Bucs fan. Terrific against the run, often a liability against the pass, even in his prime. Most of his interceptions came via pressure, and for a while there was no better front four in the league than the one in front of Lynch. Which brings us to…
Warren Sapp - coordinators who run the 4-3 still point to one-gap tackles and go, “He’s our Warren Sapp.” I have a feeling they will continue to do this for years and years. He redefined his position.*
Curtis Martin - ridiculously consistent. Put the Jets on his back for about half his career. Good enough.

*In the same vein, it’s a travesty that John Randle isn’t already in the Hall, and almost as big a travesty that nobody outside Minnesota campaigns for him. Without him, there would be no Sapp.

19

Hey “Really Not All That Bright,” god to get some more feedback on this.

Well, I guess you’re right about Shaun Alexander after looking at his career just now. Guess I’ve got him bigger in my head than he is.

No, Tim Brown is not in yet. I think this coming year will be his first eligible year.

Lynch I put on here just because he’s so well liked and was such a great leader. As far as safeties, I personally would rather see Steve Atwater get in and he’s been on the prelim list for years. I’m probably biased when it comes to Atwater though.

John Randle is a name I thought about, but I never hear anything about him in reference to the HOF. I didn’t look at his stats or achievements or anything. I remember him being dominant as hell, but since I never hear mention of him, I guess I just scratched him off.

As for your comment about Prater (ands I’m talking out of my ass here because I really don’t know), isn’t a kickoff and field goal two different types of kick? Just thinking about it, I would think maybe a field goal would be a more precise kick where a kicker wouldn’t be able to put as much “ummmph” into it. Like I said though, I don’t know… just kinda guessing.

20

Kurt Warner.

He took the Cardinals to a Super Bowl. Of course, his work with the Rams was great as well…